Why You'll Love Skylights in the Kitchen

by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for Direct from the Designers

If you’re thinking of adding skylights to your home, make sure to look beyond the great room! Skylights make an incredible asset all around the house and you might just find yourself enjoying their perks even more in another area. The kitchen is a particularly good place to consider—as one of the most important rooms and where people begin and wind down their days, you can really maximize the effects. Here’s some kitchen skylight inspiration and practical benefits you can look forward to!

Natural Lighting

The main purpose of skylights is to open up the ceiling and allow sunlight to shine down inside. This reduces the need to turn on the lights and use electricity during the day, but there’s actually more to it than that. We’re biologically tuned into natural light, so it regulates our circadian rhythm, promotes better mood and sleep, and is easier on our eyes than artificial light. We all know the blinding jolt that comes after hitting the switch when you need to get your day started—with skylights that gently brighten as the sun rises, you can wake up gradually and have enough light to make coffee and start breakfast at dawn. And even if you’re not a morning person, you’ll appreciate room-filling, full-spectrum natural light throughout the day. It’s better for you and helps make the most of your interior design, too!

Passive Ventilation

If you want to take full advantage of a skylight’s position above your kitchen, invest in one that opens. They’re available in manual, electric, and solar-powered models to suit your operational preferences, but once opened, they all work the same. Warmer air naturally rises, so giving it a means of escape will keep your interior cooler and more comfortable. But that’s true of any space—skylights in the kitchen offer additional advantages due to what goes on in the room. Steam, cooking odors, and pollutants from gas stoves can all build up and be a problem if not addressed. Luckily, hot air holds more humidity and pollution, so even passive ventilation through a skylight can make a big difference. Open up a window at the same time and fresh air will be pulled in as stale air exits—it’s a recipe for a cleaner and healthier home environment!

Design Flexibility & Control

Just as there are different types of lighting fixtures to serve different needs and design schemes, so too can you find the perfect skylights for your specific kitchen. Skylights are available in a variety of shapes and sizes—everything from recessed-lighting-like Sun Tunnel® skylights that reflect sunlight down from the roof to expansive panes of glass that give you a full view of the sky. They also work with a range of roof pitches and ceiling slopes inside—including flat! Many people think their house can’t support skylights structurally or design-wise, but they’re almost always possible unless there’s finished space—like a bedroom—above the room in question. If in doubt, a skylight professional will be happy to discuss the best products and placement options for your home.

For those worried that skylights could allow too much light inside, there's a simple solution: skylight shades. Once an add-on feature, specialized solar-powered shades are now included as part of the VELUX® Skylight System. The pre-installed, remote-controlled shades come on fixed, manual, electric, and solar-powered skylights to give you total control over natural lighting. The system automatically pairs your chosen skylight with a white room darkening shade to match any interior design and offer improved efficiency, too. If you prefer a more tailored look and effect, don't worry—custom shades still come in light diffusing and room darkening types and a whole spectrum of colors to match your vision! Whether you enjoy the built-in convenience of the standard shade or upgrade to a custom version, solar-powered skylight shades give you a big boost in terms of practical and real value. And since they require no wiring and store energy from the sun in an integrated battery, they don't complicate installation, either!

Whatever natural lighting solution you have in mind for your kitchen, VELUX® can help make it happen! They offer amazing skylights for all homes and budgets, and you can even schedule a free virtual consultation to discuss your needs with an expert. Still on the fence? Take a look at some more kitchen skylight inspiration or try the VELUX Visualizer app to test skylights on a view of your home through your own device today. It’s never been so easy to imagine the possibilities!